Back to the Wild
by BreadIsPain
Summary: What if Fireheart had been born a clan cat? What if Tigeclaw's motives were still unclear? Go back in time and enter Thunderclan, where you will find old and new characters, together for an exciting new twist on the Warriors series.
1. The Denmate

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a clan meeting!" Bluestar's yowl woke Firekit from his nap. He opened his large emerald eyes to the face of his sister, Puddlekit.

"Firekit! Today's the day!" She mewed excitedly. Firekit blinked and stretched as his mother, Frostfern, leaned down to thoroughly lick his pelt. Then the two kits followed their mother into the middle of Thunderclan's camp, Puddlekit hopping excitedly the whole way.

"We gather here today to appoint two new apprentices," Bluestar announced. "Puddlekit, please step forward."

Firekit began to become anxious as his sister was given her new name, Puddlepaw, and appointed to her mentor, Longtail. What if Bluestar decided him not good enough for a mentor? What if she kicked him out of the clan? What if his new mentor hated him and yelled at him? Firekit's heart beat quickly as Bluestar called him forward.

"Lionheart, you have served this clan well, as a brave and honorable warrior. I hope you can pass on your experience and knowledge to your new apprentice." Firekit stepped forward tentatively. Lionheart looked reassuringly at him as he stepped forward to lick his leader's shoulder.

"By the powers of Starclan, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw!"

" _Firepaw, Firepaw, Firepaw,"_ his clanmates cheered. Firepaw raised his tail proudly, and Puddlepaw came to nuzzle his cheek.

Firepaw followed Lionheart back into camp. They had just completed a tour of Thunderclan's territory, which was way bigger than Firepaw could've imagined.

"Grab yourself a mouse. I'll see you at sunrise," Lionheart told Firepaw. Firepaw nodded and trotted off to join his sister by the fresh kill pile.

Firepaw entered the apprentice's den. It was made out of brambles and surprisingly warm and sheltered from the outside. Puddlepaw had already chosen a nest in the back, and she was snoring softly. Firepaw lay down on some stale moss next to her and closed his eyes.

He was almost asleep when a large cat entered the apprentice's den and curled up next to him. The cat's name was Tigerpaw, he recalled. Tigerpaw was only a few moons older than him, but he was already twice his size. He had a harsh and dominant scent, and it caused Firepaw to scoot over a few inches. Firepaw wondered how an apprentice could already have such defined muscles. Even though Tigerpaw was posing no direct threat to him, Firepaw couldn't help but feel intimidated.


	2. The Rat

**Hi guys! Thanks for all the follows and comments! I haven't read Warriors for a while, so I apologize if some of it is incorrect. I know that the timeline is a bit off. Anyways, please keep the feedback coming, and I hope you enjoy! Btw, more of a plot coming soon ;)**

A few days later, Firepaw was woken by a small pale paw, prodding him in the stomach. He groaned, rolled over, stretched, and got up to see who had interrupted his slumber.

"Morning Sleepyhead!" said a lively voice.

"Morning Sandpaw," he said in response.

Sandpaw was a pretty she-cat with a sandy colored coat - hence the name.

"Lionheart told me to wake you. You, me, Dustpaw, Graypaw, Puddlepaw, and Tigerpaw are all training together today," she informed him.

"Oh. Okay." Firepaw followed Sandpaw to where the other apprentices were waiting. Sandpaw's mentor, a large white tom named Whitestorm, was talking to Lionheart. They turned around when they saw their apprentices arrive. Tigerpaw's mentor, Thistleclaw, sulked a few tail-lengths away. Over the past few days, Firepaw had learned to respect Tigerpaw. He exceeded all the other apprentices in his hunting, except maybe Sandstorm, and he was by far the best fighter Firepaw had ever seen. He had only spoken to Firepaw once when forced to practice a fighting move on him. Firepaw had been slightly winded by the bigger cat pouncing on him, even in a short training session.

"Ok," Whitestorm started. "Today we're doing something that Bluestar planned." Thistleclaw's eyes narrowed the slightest bit.

"Yes," Lionheart continued for him, "the most important thing to clan survival is working well with the rest of your clan. In order to survive, we must all help our clanmates thrive by pitching in our fair share of work. Whitestorm, Thistleclaw and I have already divided you into teams." Sandstorm hopped excitedly.

"The team who can catch the most prey before nightfall wins," Lionheart said.

"Now, for the teams. Dustpaw, Puddlepaw, and Graypaw are on the first team. The second team will be Tigerpaw, Firepaw, and Sandpaw." Firepaw liked his team's odds of winning, but he was disappointed to not be with his sister or Graypaw, with whom he had become good friends. Sandpaw had started out a bit grumpy towards him, but she had warmed up to him when he helped her catch her first rabbit.

"Bluestar says that the apprentices may go into Thunderclan's territory unsupervised, but you must stick with your team at all times," Whitestorm said. Tigerpaw mumbled something under his breath. Whitestorm then explained what to do if they ran into cats from other clans and the boundaries of the game. No one was to put a paw outside of Thunderclan's territory, and they were to avoid Sunningrocks. With that, they set off into the woods.

As expected, the second they were out of their mentor's sights, Tigerpaw told them to meet him by the camp at sundown. Firepaw and Sandpaw set off together. It was mid leaf fall, and the crispy red leafs were fun to step on.

"I smell something," Sandpaw said, her nose pointed in the air.

"Yeah," Firepaw replied, catching the scent of a mouse. He heard a small creature shuffle in the roots of a great oak a few tail-lengths ahead of them.

"You can get it," he offered. Sandpaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and began to stalk the mouse. She pounced on it and killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

"Nice catch!" Firepaw congratulated her.

"Thanks," she said, and dug a small hole to store it for later.

By the end of the day, Firepaw had caught three mice, one rabbit, and a squirrel. Sandpaw had caught about twice that much. He was glad she was part of his clan.

Tigerpaw was late to meet them at the camp's entrance. When he did come, he held nothing in his jaws.

"Where's your prey?" Sandpaw asked him, none too kindly.

"Oh. I buried it," he said, then turned around to retrieve it. A few moments later, he dropped a large mouse at Sandpaw's feet. She shrieked loudly.

"What is that!?" Firepaw stepped forward to get a look. It definitely wasn't a mouse, he realized. It was about his size with oily black fur and beady eyes. Even in death, Firepaw shivered from the sight of it.

"It's a rat," Tigerpaw said.

"No way are we bringing that into camp!" exclaimed Sandpaw.

"Yeah," Firepaw agreed.

"Have it your way," Tigerpaw said. The sky was almost dark.

"Well, you have to have some other prey," Sandpaw said.

"No. I was busy," he said.

"With what?" She snapped.

Tigerpaw ignored her question. Leaving his rat behind, he picked up some of Sandpaw's prey and begin to walk into camp. Firepaw and Sandpaw followed.

The other team had caught more prey than them, though not by much.

"Good job," Lionheart praised them. "All of you."

"What's our prize?" Pebblepaw asked.

"Go get yourself some food. Tomorrow you'll have the day off. Sandpaw, Firepaw and Tigerpaw will be cleaning the elder's den and tending to their fleas."

Sandpaw groaned and stared daggers at Tigerpaw. "That piece of crowfood," she mumbled to Firepaw.


	3. The Season to Come

**Sorry I skipped over so much, but none of the following is very important to the overall plot. Hope you enjoy and thanks for taking a chance on my fanfic!**

Over the next few moons, Firepaw's training progressed nicely. Leafbare was hard, but Thunderclan managed to pull through. The biggest loss for Thunderclan was the death of their medicine cat, Thrushpelt. He died of greencough but managed to save all of his patients. His apprentice, Spottedleaf, had to take over all of the medicine cat's duties. So far, she was doing quite well. Firepaw liked Spottedleaf a lot. She was a kind and helpful cat with a beautiful tortoiseshell pelt. He knew he could never take her as a mate, though, because she was a medicine cat.

Meanwhile, the fight over Sunningrocks with Riverclan continued. Firepaw was not there, but he heard rumors that Tigerpaw fought off three Riverclan warriors. A few days later, Tigerpaw was granted warrior status and given the name Tigerclaw.

By Newleaf, Firepaw had also received his warrior name. He was now known as Fireheart.

The biggest surprise to Thunderclan was the death of their deputy, Redtail. Or, lack thereof. One day in mid-Newleaf, Redtail simply disappeared. This caused Bluestar into a great wave of grief. She blamed herself for Redtail's disappearance. In the midst of her heartache, she had appointed Fireheart as the new deputy of Thunderclan. Much of the clan was unhappy about this arrangement. There was no clear explanation as to why Bluestar thought him fit. Many cats believed she had gone crazy.


	4. The Prophecy

**Thank you so much for the feedback! Much appreciated. If you have any suggestions and if you want this story to continue, please comment! Sorry I haven't updated in so long.**

 **TWO SEASONS LATER**

Fireheart stood outside Thunderclan's camp entrance. Many warriors and apprentices gathered around him, waiting for him to sort out the patrols for the morning.

"Longtail, Sandstorm and Tigerclaw can take the Windclan border," he said.

"Where is Tigerclaw?" asked Sandstorm. Fireheart looked around and realized that the large tom was, in fact, nowhere to be seen.

"I saw him go to Spottedleaf's den earlier," Lionheart said, joining the conversation. The whole time Fireheart had been talking, Lionheart had been staring at him pridefully. Fireheart admired his former mentor more than any other clan cat, except maybe Bluestar, and he knew he still had a lot to learn from the golden tom.

"Okay," Fireheart said. "Well then, Lionheart, you can join this patrol." He felt weird ordering around the older warrior. Lionheart dipped his head, his amber eyes gleaming.

After Fireheart was finished with the patrols, he made his way to Spottedleaf's den to find Tigerclaw. If nothing else, he wanted to make sure he was okay. Tigerclaw had been acting a bit weirdly lately, disappearing into the woods for long periods of time and returning with no explanation. Then again, didn't Tigerclaw always act a bit suspicious? Fireheart decided to keep an eye on him anyway.

Fireheart's ponderings were interrupted as Tigerclaw himself pushed his way out of the ferns lining Spottedleaf's den. He flashed Fireheart a venomous look as Fireheart passed by. Fireheart considered saying something but he decided against it. Instead, he entered Spottedleaf's den.

It was one of his favorite places in Thunderclan's camp. Spottedleaf's sweet smell combined with fresh herbs always calmed him, and something about the den made it feel like a haven from the rest of the bustling camp.

"Hello Fireheart," she flicked her tortoiseshell tail in greeting. Her flanks seemed a lot rounder than they had when he had last seen her. Newleaf was treating Thunderclan well, he reflected.

"Hello Spottedleaf," he replied fondly, "I just saw Tigerclaw in here, is he alright?" Tigerclaw had been visiting Spottedleaf's den a lot lately, and Fireheart hoped the striped tom didn't have a more serious problem than what he was letting on.

"Oh, yeah, he - uh, he's fine. Just a thorn in his paw."

"I hope there aren't thorns in our bedding. I'll have to ask the apprentices to clean that out," Fireheart said.

"Yeah," Spottedleaf said, "I'll see you later Fireheart."

"Yes, see you later," Fireheart replied, taking her cue to leave.

Over the next few days, Fireheart noticed that Spottedleaf was absent from the camp much of the time. He also noticed Tigerclaw sneaking more than his fair share of prey. Something was definitely going on here, but meanwhile, Fireheart was too busy to investigate further. Bluestar had assigned him his own apprentice, a peppy she-cat named Cinderpaw. He enjoyed their time together more than he had expected to. She was spirited and enthusiastic about her clan, and he always felt better after leaving their training sessions than he had when they started. She was shaping out to be a great hunter, and Fireheart often took her deep into Thunderclan's forest to search for mice to take to the elders.

It was on one of these days when Fireheart and his apprentice arrived back in Thunderclan's camp to a large commotion. He moved immediately towards the middle of camp to find his leader.

Spottedleaf was standing next to Bluestar, her tail raised urgently.

"What did the cat say?" Bluestar was asking.

"She gave me a warning. _An outsider will appear. Welcome him, do not deny him shelter, for only his allies will be spared from the forest's wrath_." The words sent an icy shiver through Fireheart's pelt.

"What do you think it means?" Bluestar addressed Spottedleaf.

"An outsider will appear is pretty straightforward. Be sure to bring any strange cats straight to camp. We must welcome them. His allies have to be the clan he abides in. And for the forest's wrath, I have no idea what that could be, but it can't be good." Bluestar nodded.

"We should alert the other clans as soon as possible," Bluestar said.

"Wait," said Longtail, "if the cat will save only the clan it stays in, shouldn't we keep this to ourselves? We want what's best for Thunderclan, don't we?" Murmurs of agreement began to rise from the surrounding cats.

"No," replied Bluestar calmly, "this message has been granted to our medicine cat, but in order of the survival of all cats, we mustn't keep anything so important from our fellow clans."

"But-" Longtail started. He was interrupted by Bluestar's icy glare.

"I will alert the other medicine cats at the Half-moon tonight," Spottedleaf promised Bluestar. With that, the clan meeting was dismissed.


	5. The Newcomer

**Yay! Finally getting into the story! Please leave a review if you enjoyed (or didn't). It means so much to me! Thank you, Guest, for your review - I will try to not make the rest of this story a let-down! :)) Ok, back to the book! Or should I say - the wild?**

Fireheart was proudly watching Cinderpaw stalk a mouse.

"Keep your tail straight," he corrected her. She didn't acknowledge his instruction but her tail stilled in the air. She trod lightly, her paws barely disturbing the forest floor. The mouse was still oblivious to her, and her legs tensed, ready to pounce. She flung herself into the air, and her paws were almost on the little creature when it suddenly scurried into a patch of brambles.

"Mouse dung!" she cursed, her yellow eyes slitted in frustration.

"I thought you had that!" Fireheart remarked.

"Yeah," Cinderpaw agreed, "me too."

Fireheart looked at his apprentice. There was no way the mouse could've seen her coming. Maybe it was just coincidence that the mouse ran away. Or maybe it smelled something that they didn't.

Fireheart's hackles rose when he heard a rustling in the nearby brambles.

"Who's there?" he snapped, drawing Cinderpaw closer to him with his tail.

"I-I'm sorry to disturb you," Fireheart spun around at the unfamiliar voice. It came from a small white tom with unnerving blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Fireheart said to the newcomer, shifting his weight to ready himself for an attack.

"My name is Star," the strange cat replied, "I come from the Silver Jaws."

Fireheart had never heard of the Silver Jaws. Not much was known to the clans about the world outside of their own territory.

"Where is that?" he asked. This cat had to be part of Spottedleaf's prophecy, and he planned on taking him to Bluestar as soon as possible. At the same time, though, he didn't know if he could trust the foreign tom, and he was suspicious of the cat's seemingly planned appearance.

"Far away," the cat who called himself Star replied, "to the East."

"Why are you here?" Fireheart asked. Cinderpaw's ears were perked excitedly, and he realized this was an important experience for the young cat. He made a mental note to teach her what to do if a strange cat ever arrived on her territory.

"Silver Jaws has become overruled with Fake-Pelts, and my mate and kits died in the cold of White-Forest."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Fireheart said, gathering that Fake-pelts must be Two-legs and White-Forest must be Leafbare.

"I've traveled a long way. I hope to make a new life with other cats, and when I scented your forest, I hoped I had found my final destination," Star said.

"So you wish to join one of our clans?" Fireheart asked, thinking about how unusual it was for a foreign cat to ask to live with them.

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"Let me take you to my leader," Fireheart replied, thinking of how to explain Star to Bluestar.


End file.
